Can you identify a legitimate U.S. Census Bureau employee from an imposter? North Alabama residents were put to this task recently, telling a legitimate U.S. Census Bureau employee that someone posing as a Census Bureau employee asked to gain entry into their homes, saying the homeowners had failed to respond to the 2020 Census.
In North Alabama, invitations to complete the 2020 Census began arriving in mailboxes on March 12. If you haven’t received the invite already, it will be arriving before April. If you fail to complete the 2020 Census by mail, phone or online by the end of April, you can expect an in-person visit by a legitimate Census Bureau representative in May.
As of March 18, 2020, all Census Bureau field reps have suspended in-person visits due to COVID-19, the new coronavirus, but will continue to conduct survey research by phone.
Census Bureau
employees do conduct surveys year-round and may visit your home following the
temporary coronavirus suspension to drop off census materials, conduct quality
checks and collect research on a variety of other surveys, besides the
well-known 2020 Decennial Census. However, the field reps specifically for the
2020 Census are not scheduled to make in-person visits in North Alabama until
at least May and only if your household has failed to complete or improperly
completed the 2020 Census.
WHAT TO LOOK
FOR WHEN IDENTIFYING A CENSUS BUREAU EMPLOYEE:
- All U.S. Census Bureau employees will carry a badge with a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, photo identification, and an expiration date. Workers also have a bag and equipment with the U.S. Census Bureau logo.
- You can contact the regional office covering the North Alabama area at 1-800-424-6974 to verify a visitor is a legitimate Census Bureau employee.
- Your Better Business Bureau of North Alabama is also available by phone at 877-267-5222 to answer questions you may have, provide scam tips and advice and assist you in filing a complaint or reporting a scam.
CENSUS
EMPLOYEES WILL NEVER:
- Demand entry
into your home. - Ask for your
full Social Security number. - Ask for money
or gifts. - Ask for your
mother’s maiden name.
BBB warns scams relating to the
2020 Census may happen by mail, social media, text message, phone and
in-person. Report Census Bureau imposters to BBB Scam Tracker. If it is determined
that the visitor who came to your door does not work for the Census Bureau,
contact your local police department.
Source: BBB.org
To report a scam, go to the
BBB Scam Tracker. To find trustworthy businesses, go to https://www.bbb.org
